Rusty weapons and shields appeared in Breath of the Wild, so it was only natural that they'd make a return in Tears of the Kingdom. In BotW, players could repair rusted gear and return them to their original look. Thus, players may be wondering if the same applies in the sequel.
Players will find rusty weapons in wells and caves with breakable rock walls, in abandoned ruins, or in the hands of a monster. They're far more common in the starting areas of Tears of the Kingdom. Fusing something to a rusted weapon or shield will increase its attack power and durability, but it may not be worth making room for them in the inventory.
Can Rusty Gear Be Fixed?
Unfortunately, rusty weapons can't be repaired in Tears of the Kingdom. Despite this, a Rock Octorok can give a "bonus" effect to the rusty weapon:
- Players can drop their rusty gear (one per Octorok) and have it inhaled by the Rock Octoroks in Eldin Region.
- When the Octorok "sparkles," this indicates that the weapon has been cleaned.
- Players can then kill the Octorok with an arrow (or melee weapon) so it drops the weapon.
Instead of (for example) a Rusty Claymore turning into a Traveler's Claymore, the weapon will remain rusty. However, if players open the menu and check the cleaned weapon, they'll find an icon in the top-left corner:
- White/light blue icons indicate a "level 1" bonus applied to a weapon.
- Gold icons indicate a "level 2/max level" and cannot be "cleaned" again.
- Cleaning a rusty weapon can potentially increase its durability (ie: diamond icon), or it can gain a Critical Up bonus (ie: crossed swords icon).
Although bonuses can be applied to rusty gear, there are better weapons out there. Thus, rusty weapons are better off being fused to boulders/rocks. Their weak attack and durability make them perfect for breaking down walls and smashing ore deposits.
If players want the "repaired" version of a rusty weapon, then they'll want to look for Pristine Weapons.
What are Pristine Weapons?
There are three categories of weapons (excluding Zonai weapons) in Tears of the Kingdom:
The most common type are decayed weapons. These are returning weapons from Breath of the Wild that have been, well, decayed. Their attack power has been significantly decreased compared to their BotW counterparts, and their durability leaves much to the imagination, too. This is to accommodate TotK's fusion mechanic. By Fusing another weapon to a decayed weapon, the attack power and durability will increase. Different materials and weapons give different attack/durability.
Rusty weapons provide little use beyond breaking ore and rock. However, they're dangerous in the hands of an enemy when Link has very few heart containers. Again, they can't be repaired in TotK.
Finally, there are pristine weapons. These are non-decayed, polished gear that lie in The Depths. Here, players will occasionally stumble upon a cairn. At the top of these piled stones is a spirit of a soldier. When Link takes the weapon from the spirit, it will pass on.
The pristine weapons will "respawn" during each Blood Moon .
Pristine weapons can be any of the following:
- One-handed sword
- Claymore (two-handed)
- Spear
Players will notice a sparkle icon next to the weapon's name. This just indicates that the weapon is "pristine" and that its attack power (and durability) will be higher than any of the decayed or rusted weapons found on The Surface. Fusing monster parts (such as a Silver Lynel Horn) to a pristine weapon is highly suggested. This can raise the weapon's attack power to over 100 depending on the weapon.
Players will need to find and use/break the decayed version of the pristine weapon before the pristine version shows up in The Depths. So, if they want a pristine Knight's Claymore, they'll need to find a decayed Knight's Claymore (ex: in Hyrule Castle) and use it until it breaks. This will trigger it to "spawn" in The Depths.
The type of pristine weapon varies on the region of The Depths that Link is exploring. Pristine weapons in The Depths below Hyrule Field or the Great Plateau will usually yield Traveler Swords or Traveler Claymores. While they're not poor weapons by any means, the better pristine weapons tend to spawn in "higher-leveled areas," such as the Gerudo Desert Depths or Eldin Canyon Depths.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available for Nintendo Switch.